Schools tread thin line in war lessons
With unprecedented news coverage of the war in Iraq on nearly every
channel and antiwar protests and pro-war rallies on numerous street
corners, schools are faced with a difficult situation. When and how
should teachers and administrators talk to students about the war?
In Laguna Beach, the district has taken a stance of
“responsibility and objectivity” according to Asst. Supt. Steven
Keller. He said district administrators have confidence in their
teachers to engage in appropriate discussion of current events
without allowing public opinion to invade.
He said they would expect the issue to come up in history class,
but he doesn’t expect teachers to bring it up in math class. Most
importantly to district officials, it seems, teachers should not to
let their personal opinions color any discussion about the war.
This approach is even more essential when the inquisitive student
is in elementary school. Keller said they haven’t heard good or bad
response from parents regarding the teachers’ discussions of war, but
we can imagine some outrage if second-graders came home spouting pro-
or antiwar ideology to parents with opposing views.
We commend the district for attempting to keep the harsh realities
of war out of the everyday lives of young children. Teachers must be
aware of what their students may already know and alert parents to
worrisome activity in the school yard. Teachers can also not ignore
questions and concerns brought up by young children about the war.
But the respect for parents who may not want their children exposed
to the harsher realities of life at such a tender age is appreciated.
Once a child is in middle and high school, it is a different
matter, however.
Students are presumably reading the newspaper and watching the
news and will most likely be bombarded with information and images of
the war. Undoubtedly, they will need to talk about it.
Older students, especially at high school and certainly college
age, should learn about world events they are living through and the
history that preceded the war. They should be educated, and not just
by the media, about who the leaders involved are.
It’s a tricky subject on top of an already challenging job. We
salute the effort by teachers to educate while nurturing the soul.
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.